


Life & Death

by Pass1onAndH0pe



Series: Exploring Errortale [6]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Errortale, Depression, Error Sans - Freeform, Fatal Error, Gen, Insomnia, Other, Trauma, Underswap Papyrus, Underswap Sans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-27
Updated: 2016-08-27
Packaged: 2018-08-11 07:19:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7881877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pass1onAndH0pe/pseuds/Pass1onAndH0pe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blue's still in timeout. At least he won't be alone for long.</p><p>Also, apologies for the suddenly slowed down updates. Like I mentioned in Paradiso, college has started up and also the internet isn't really great.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Life & Death

Blue found timeout a more painful experience than the last time he had been treated in a similar way. With every partial intake of breath pain radiated throughout his chest. His mind took in the details, how the pain traveled along invisible threads from his core, around his ribcage, and into his spine. Maybe the threads weren't invisible? He couldn't exactly look to satisfy curiosity.

Blue closed his eye sockets tired of staring into the infinite expanse of white. Error had walked off and stayed out of earshot unheard except for when he yelled. _He_ seemed content to forget about him, why shouldn't Blue act the same?

As his mind drifted off, little by little, the consistent pain in his chest vanished without his notice.

 

Sans sat up in bed. Every time he closed his eyes the same visions appeared. The same sounds accompanied them. It was day two since the accident, and insomnia hit him hard. He took an unsteady breath and bunched his legs up close to his chest. Sans wanted to sleep, he _wanted_ to dream like he always did, he _wanted to be_ what he used to be. What had happened sought to rob him of everything, even his appetite. His legendary appetite!

The small skeleton began to sniffle and feel tears welling up. He'd cried so much at this point his pride about it was gone. Tears fell down his cheek bones, and Sans scrubbed at them out of dislike for their wetness. The door to his room opened.

"Sans?" He looked up as Papyrus called his name. The taller skeleton was dressed in sleep clothes. He looked about as exhausted as Sans felt making him feel worse by result.

"bro, i'm here." Papyrus went over and settled next to him on the bed. Using the discarded blanket, he wrapped them both inside its soft embrace. Sans, still with tears, huddled against his brother not speaking. Life had become too hard for words.

He listened as Papyrus started humming a song. It became a habit in soothing Sans when sleep decided to evade him. Staring out at the darkness of his room, his tears slowly came to a stop. He scrubbed his cheek bones again, and took another unsteady breath.

"Pap, what's that song?" Sans said his voice creaking with disuse. He wanted to speak, to be allowed to do anything. Papyrus stopped humming to answer.

"ah, something i came up with."

"Does it....have lyrics?"

"hm. i guess it could, bro." Papyrus shifted into a more comfortable position for them both. Sans leaned back against his brother's rib cage finding the touch to be grounding against the fog in his mind.

"take a moment to find yourself, take a moment and ask yourself if this is how we fall apart-" Sans stiffened more so at the lyric than Papyrus' sudden singing- "but it’s not, but it’s not, but it’s not, but it’s not. it’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay, it’s _okay_."

"i’ve got nothing, got nothing, got nothing, got nothing to fear. _i’m_ here, i’m here, _i’m here_." Papyrus repeated the single verse several times. Sans found it more relaxing with each repeat, and sunk deeper and deeper into the arms of sleep. He never even noticed it happening until waking up the next day.

 

Blue opened his eyes to the Anti-Void. Error, remaining far away, had an interdimensional window opened. He must be telling a story to the voices. Blue wanted to care, but he found his patient heart empty when a breath reminded him of his painful state. He didn't even have the energy to be bitter anymore. All the skeleton desired, as his vision fogged over, was some sort of respite from loneliness.

 

Sans entered the house and saw Papyrus sitting on the couch. He stared absentmindedly into space the TV not even turned on. Sans went to say something, but held back. Maybe talking couldn't be done right now.

The small skeleton decided to sit next to his brother at least letting him know he was there. Usually brimming with activity, this wasn't the time for any of his energetic antics. Sans glanced at Papyrus who glanced back at him. He read the drained look on the taller skeleton's face and scooted closer.

Papyrus could only manage a "heh" before wrapping an arm around Sans. The smaller skeleton moved even closer to indicate his support. They remained in peaceful silence until Sans felt Papyrus lean back against the couch. Looking over, his brother had started crying. The same quiet and exhausted tears he had shed at one point.

Sans did his best to wrap Papyrus into a hug. Pressed close together, he could feel how his chest heaved with each stifled sob. It hurt but Sans tried to remain strong outwardly. Someone had to be.

Murmuring assurances and patting his brother's back an idea came to him. Sans trusted it, and began to hum the song he hadn't heard in years. Papyrus steadily calmed down even daring to give a few dry laughs in reaction.

"You're losing sight, you're losing touch- all these little things seem to matter so much. That they confuse you; that I might lose you-" Sans felt Papyrus jerk a little at what was sung- "Take a moment to ask yourself if this is how we fall apart."

"But it's not, but it's not, but it's not, but it's not, _but it's not_. It's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay, _it's okay_. You've got nothing, got nothing, got nothing, got nothing to fear," Papyrus whispered as he joined in, "I'm here, _I'm_ here, _I'm here_."

They pulled apart and laughed. Sans smiled and his brother smiled back twice as wide. He always made that joke, but Papyrus would reply he wasn't twice _as wide_ , more like twice _as tall_.

Sans wanted to carry on but he felt a sudden disconnection. He understood, at once, that this could only be a memory. Papyrus was far away in a timeline he couldn't reach, and it wouldn't end with him in it.

 

Blue's surroundings began to crumble in the oddest way. They came apart in squares and rectangles becoming inversions of themselves. The only thing that stayed was a panel with Papyrus' bright smile. Everything faded to a grey scale, and Blue wondered if he had ended up somewhere worse than either Void or Anti-Void.

"you've (you've) got nothing (nothing) to fear (to). i'm here (here), i'm here, i'm (here) here," spoke a voice in harsh sing-song. Blue turned and noticed a figure standing near him. He could tell right away they were an alter of himself. His jacket white a crescent of red spread across it matching the same bright red of the large scarf he wore. The eye sockets, one a drooping red and the other blue, were devoid of pupils. His image twitched with glitches making him akin to Error.

"Hello?"

"oh (oh). heya (ya)."

Blue strained to catch every word the other spoke. If it were possible, it seemed his voice came out more errant than Error's. He wondered at what else to start with. The last time he met someone in a dream, as he supposed this was one, it had been Fresh, a virus. This person looked far from being a virus and more like an extraordinary glitch.

"So, um, I'm Blue. And you are?"

"it's been so (so) long. **fatal_error** (my name) (i think)."

Blue paused considering his next words carefully. He didn't know what would set off this glitch. If he could be set off in the first place.

"I'll call you Fate for short. Is, uh, that okay?"

The alternate snapped out of looking distracted. He'd been staring at the lingering panel of Papyrus' smile. Hard to tell but Blue considered himself almost a pro at nuance after so much time spent with Error.

"fine (fine). blue is (correct)?"

"Yes."

Out of the corner of his eye, Blue watched as the panel faded. Nothing more to do now than get to know this stranger.

**Author's Note:**

> I used the two different versions of "Here Comes a Thought." The first sung by Pap is the vers performed at SanDiego CC by Rebecca herself. The one Blue sings is the official duet vers!
> 
> And yes, the next piece will be continuing with Fate (at least I call him Fate more often he's referred to as Blue Raspberry or Fatal)! You can find more info about him on fatal-error-blog on tumblr.


End file.
